Egg beater



Oct. 26 1926.

l. L. HOFFER EGG BEATER- Filed July 1d, 1925 numberless bubbles ofPatented Oct. 26, 1926.

UldlTE'iE STATES IVA'N'L. I-IOFFER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. i

EGG BEATER.

Application filed July 10, 192 5.

This invention relates to improvements in kitchen utensils of that classwhich are designed for employment in beating: eggs, whipping cream, etc.

One of the objects of the present inven tion is to provide an egg beaterwhich may be operated with little elfort and by the use of which eggsmay be beaten to a froth in a short period of time and a froth of thedesired consistency obtained.

So far as I am aware all devices of this class heretofore designed havebeen so constructed that they effect amere agitation of the materialacted upon whether it be eggs, cream, or the like, and as a consequencethey have been more or less unsatisfactory for the reason that the frothproduced is flat and heavy. It is desirable, of course, to produce afroth which will be fluffy and light, and in some instances afrothhaving not only these qualities but also possessing the quality ofdryness, which latter quality it is practically impossible to impart tothe material acted upon by the use of the ordinary devices of thisclass. Therefore, the invention has as another very important object, toprovide a device in the operation of which a light foamy and fluffyfroth may be quickly produced, the froth consisting of the material andbeing of such consistency that it will not fall even after standing aconsiderable period of time after it has been produced. In this respectthe invention has as its further object to provide a. device of thisclass so constructed that in its operation the substance being actedupon will be thoroughly aerated, air being forced into and through themass of the substance and the substance being at the same timethoroughly agitated. In this manner the invention contemplates theprovision of a device of the class stated, by the use of which a frothof a very desirable consistency maybe produced, and, where desired, asubstantially dry froth may be produced.

Another object of the invention is to provide an agitating device of theclass referred to which will require minimum. effort for its operation,the device including a vertically reciprocable member and means urgingthe member in an upward direction, so that the only manual forcerequired to operate the device is that involved in forclflg the memberdownwardly to the material be agitated, the means referred. to servingSerial No. 42,815.

to immediately return the member to its normal position. e

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical diametric sectional view through the agitatingdevice embodying the present invention the plunger thereof beingshown inelevated position;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure1 looking in an upward direction as indicated by the arrows in saidfigure;

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

- Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating the lower portionof a modified form of the device.

The device embed in the invention com be observed by reference to Fig.1, the said wall is interiorly of maximum diameter at its open top andis gradually or otherwise decreased in diameter to a point suitablyspaced above the bottom 3 from which point, indicated by the numeral 5,the said wall is cylindrical in its contour. Thus there provided, in thelower portion of the container, the equivalent of a cylinder.

The upper surface of the bottom 3 of the container is flat, and restingthereon is the flat under side of a base 6 which is of circular form andof a diameter to fit relatively snugly within the cylindrical bottomportion of the container. The upper surface of the base 6 is preferablyrounded, and upstanding from the base at the center thereof is a stemindicated by the numeral 7, the said stembeing preferably circular incross section.

Tao open top of the container is adapted to be closed by a lid indicatedby the numeral 8., and the said lid maybe of any desired contour and ofan-ymatei'ial found suitable for the purpose, be lid being providedcentrally with an opening 9 having a suri 'oiin-ding depending, tiaiigeindicated by the numeral 10. The rim of the lid is adapted to fit thehead 4 and, in practice, means will be provided for holding the lid inplace upon the rim or bead. The device includes a dasher or plungerindicated in general by the numeral 11 and the said plunger includes atubular stem which is of cylindrical form and is, indicated by thenumeral 12. The stem 12 is exteriorly of a diameter to snugly and yetfreely slidably fit through the opening 9 and be guidedby the flange 10,and interiorly the-stem is of a diameter slightly greater than thediameterof the stem 7 and slidably fits over the said stem and is guidedthereby in itsup and down movement as clearly shown in Figure 1 of thedrawings, it being understood that the plunger is to be verticallyreciprocated, in the use of the device. Supported at the lower end 'ofthestem 12 is a dasher head indicated by the numeral 13 which'head is ofconvex form upon its upper surface and concave upon its under surfaceand isformed with a plurality of openings indicated by the numeral 14which openings are distributed throughout the area of the said head. Thecurvature of thehead 13 is the same as that of the upper side of thebase 6 so that when the plunger 12 is forced downwardly to its-extremelower limit of movement, the said'head 13 will fit snugly over therounded upper surface of the said base 6. Likewise the head 13 is of adiameter substantially equal to the internal diameter of the containerat its lower cylindrical portion so that when the plunger is forcedclownwardly within "the container, the head will enter this cylindricalportion of the container in the manner of apiston thuscaus- 'ingthesubstance to be agitated, which is within the container, to passupwardly through the openings 14 in the head 13 and, at the same time.expelling any air which may be within this portionof the container.

In order that the dasher may be reci, located, a hand knob 15 isprovided with a shank 16 which is snugly and frictionally fitted intothe upper end of the stem 12 and in this manner held assembled with thesaid stem. For a purpose to be presently pointed out, the shank 16 oftheknob .15, and likewise the said knob itself, is formed with an axiallyextending air passage indicated by the numeral 17, and any desirednumber of small :iir ducts 18 are formed in the knob 15 and extenddownwardly and radially from the air passage 17 near the upper endthereof and these ducts open at their outer ends to the atmosphere. Thelower end of the air passage 17 opens through the lower end of the shank16 and, therefore. is in communication with the interior of the stem 12.In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a flap valve19 issecured adjacent its margin, as at 20, to the lower end of the saidshank 16 and, being of circular form and substantially equal in diameterto the diameter of the said shank, is adapted to lie against the saidlower end of the shank and close the air passage 17 at times and underconditions presently explained. If found desir able, some other type ofvalve might be employed. A thimble 21' is fitted :onto the lower end ofthe shank 16 of the knob 15 and houses the valve19, and is formed withan opening 22in alinement with the air passage 17. A spring 23 of thecompression type is arranged within the tubular stem 12 of the dasherand atits lower end bears against the upper end of the stem 7 and at itsupper end bears against the lower side of the tliimble '21.

In the use of the device, the substance or substances to be agitated andfrothed, are

introduced into the container 1, the guida in one hand while the otherhand steadies volved in forcing the dasher downwardly and that no effortis required to be expended 1n returning the dasher to its ele vatedpositlon. On the said downward stroke of the dasher, the dasher head 13will, as it enters the cylindrical lower portion of the container 1, actas a piston to more or less compress the substance to be frothed, andthrough the provision of the openings 14,the substance, together withany air trapped by the head13 will be forcibly ejected in illl'llpwlildireetion from the said cylindrical lower portion of the containerthrough the said openings 1%.

Likewise in this movement of the dasher,

air willbe more or less compressed in the stem 12 of the dasher inasmuchas the stem 7 acts substantially as a piston, at this time, and-thevalve 19 will remain closed. On the return or up stroke of the dasher, asuction will be createdwithin the cylindrical lower portion ofthecontainer as the dasher head 13 moves upwardly therein, and a verysmall quantity of the substance will be drawn back through the openings14 and, after the head 13 has reacheda position above they cylindricalportion i of the container, a portion of the substance will flow overthe periphery of the said head'13 and thus be returned to thecylindrical lower portion of the container. Likewise, on this returnstroke, a suction will be created in the hollow stem 12 of the dasherresulting in an opening of the valve 19 and a drawing in of air throughthe duct 18 and the main air passage 17, this air being thereforetrapped within the device. The trapped air is compressed on the nextdown stroke of the plunger and is forced about the stem 7 and deliveredbeneath the dasher head 13 and into the substance which is being actedupon. As a result of the rapid reciprocation of the dasher, thesubstance is not only thoroughly agitated due to its forced passagethrough the openings 14 in the dasher head, but likewise it isthoroughly aerated. After the operation has been continued for arelatively short period of time, as compared to the time required tobeat or froth a substance by the use of ordinary boaters, it will befound that the substance has been reduced to a light fluffy, and yetsubstantial froth, the consistency of the froth at the termination ofthe frothing operation being such that on the down stroke of the dashernone of the froth will be located below the dasher head 13.

It will be observed by reference to Figure 1, that the flange 10 is ofinverted frusto conical form so that an annular pocket will be providedabout the dasher stem 12 to collect any of the substance which might becarried up through the opening 9, and return the same to the interior ofthe container, although the lower edge of the flange will serve, ineffect, as a scraper to prevent any appreciable quantity of thesubstance being carried upwardly through said opening.

It will be understood that while, in the illustrated embodiment of theinvention, the dasher is carried by the lid 8, this is not essential, asthe lid may be entirely independent of the dasher.

The structure disclosed in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings is adesirable and practical one but if desired, the structure might bemodified as shown in Figure 4, in which figure the stem 7 is devoid ofthe base 6 and merely rests upon the central portion of the flat bottom3 of the container, the upper end portion of the stem being slightlyreduced in diameter as indicated by the numeral 241 to form acircumscribing shoulder and the spring which is in dicated by thenumeral 26 and which con responds to the spring 23, being fittedfrictionally onto the reduced end of the stem and en agin at its lowerend a ainst-the C b V O is claimed as new is:

1. A "device of the class described comprising a container, a guidingmember sup:

ported innpright position Within the container, a dasher comprising ahollow stem and a head supported by the lower end thereof, the said stemloosely slidably fitting the guiding member, a knob having a shankfitted into the upper end of the stem, the said shank having an airpassage opening to the atmosphere and communicating with the interior ofthe stem, a valve upon the lower end of the shank normally closing thecorresponding end of the said air passage, an apertured thimble upon thesaid shank housing the valve, and a spring bearing against the upper endof the guiding member and against the thimble, the said guiding mem--ber constituting a piston whereby on the up stroke of the said dasherair will be admitted into the said stem through the air passage and betrapped, and upon the down stroke of the piston the said trapped airwill be compressed and delivered past the guiding member and beneath thehead of the dasher.

2. A device of the class described comprising a container, the containerbeing interiorly gradually decreased in diameter from its top in thedirection of its bottom to a point spaced above the bottom and from thispoint to the bottom being of cylindrical form, a guiding membersupported in upright position concentrically within the container, and adasher comprising a tubular stem slidably fitting the guiding member anda perforated head at the lower end of the stem of a diametersubstantially equal to the internal diameter of the cylindrical portionof the container.

3. A device of the class described comprising a container, a dasherguided for reciprocatory motion in the container and having a head ofapproximately the same diameter as the internal diameter of the lowerportion of the container, and means for supplying air beneath the saiddasher head.

4:. A device of the character specified comprising a container, aguiding member there in embodying a base supported upon the bottom ofthe container and in contact at its outer edge with the inner wall ofthe con- 5, A device of the character specified, comprising a containerhaving its lower portion of unlform outline for a short distance, thencegradually flared towards its upper edge, a guiding member supportedcentrally within the container upon the bottom there of, and a dasherreciprocally'mounted upon theguiding member and comprising a head of asize to snugly fit Within the lower portion of the container andprovided With openings for the escape of the content from the lowerportion of the container when the IVAN L. HOFFER.

